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Opinion

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Chris Matthews

A history of running with religion

JFK’s campaign experience holds lessons for Romney

By Chris Matthews

 |   

  December 11, 2011

Mitt Romney was recently asked if he thought his religion would hurt him in his fight for the presidential nomination. He told the Fox interviewer that it would only be a problem ”among a narrow group of individuals.” The first Catholic elected president, John F. Kennedy, was also optimistic he could prevail. But the Kennedy experience proves that the candidate himself never knows the power of prejudice beforehand. It’s only when you’re headed for victory, or when you’ve reached frontrunner status, that bigotry shows its ugly face.

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